So, here we are 52 hours after leaving Disneyland and we arrive in Walt Disney World!
We spent the New Year’s holiday
at Fort Wilderness in Walt Disney World with three other couples (Busalacchi’s, Chubb’s, and Bateman’s) that we met at the Newmar International Rally in Gillette, WY last year. We had to book Fort Wilderness about nine months out in order to insure that we had a spot close to our friends.
This campground is crazy at Christmas time – people park here for a month or so and decorate their site:
Crazy! Those are people’s campsites. Not Disney provided.
And my favorite:
Santa, I know him!
Bear loved our spot:
Squirrels and wild turkeys. He was in heaven!
Having those Annual Passes enables us to come and go into the parks whenever we want and not feel guilty about not spending the entire day there. We hopped over to all the parks for a few hours (allowing us to get back to Bear often):
Upcoming ride:
We were able to get on Disney’s newest attraction at the Galaxy’s Edge in Hollywood Studios called “Rise of the Resistance”. This is based on Star Wars. No Fast Pass and no stand bys! You have to be in the park and “apply” for a boarding pass on line. Those lucky enough will get one for your group. Kat and I got Boarding Group 162 – They guarantee 88. We were doubtful that we would get to experience it this time around. If they text you that you are going to be called, you have two hours to report to the entrance. So, we continued on with our normal activities and went out to dinner at Citricos in the Grand Floridian with the Bateman’s and the Busalacchi’s.
Loved seeing the Christmas decorations inside of the Grand Floridian:
The gingerbread house is fantastic!
We were texted that our boarding group was being called. Left dinner before dessert and headed back over to Hollywood Studios. This is not a ride – it is an experience. Totally awesome!!
I don’t want to go into detail as to ruin it for others. Let me say – go experience it!
We got to try a few new to us restaurants, like Canada’s Le Cellier Steakhouse (pretty good, although I prefer Charley’s off property) and Be Our Guest:
With the host:
We spent NYE at Fort Wilderness and watched the fireworks from the Magic Kingdom from the beach there.
Not only did the Magic Kingdom shoot off fireworks, but the Transportation Station also did and Disney had them in sync with the music. I have never seen anything like that! Spectacular! One of the more interesting aspects was when they did the countdown and shot off numbered fireworks: 10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1
Since the Chubb’s had their children with them, they were hitting the Disney Parks pretty frequently so we got to join them on occasion. Here’s some pictures on the Skyliner and a view from atop Disney’s newest Vacation Club destination: Riveria
The Bateman’s and the Busalacchi’s didn’t go into the parks as they were pretty crowded. We were able to spend time with them around the campfire, over meals and watching football games.
Overall, Fort Wilderness is an excellent place to spend the New Year’s holiday at, particularly if you have Annual Passes and can flit in and out of the parks catching Fast Passes and not waiting in long queues. A great part of being at this campground is that you can take a boat directly to the Magic Kingdom.
The Happiest Place On Earth!
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